Overview
ABSTRACT
Heat exchanger main operating problems are due to fouling, corrosion, vibration and mechanical strength phenomena. Corrosion and fouling remain the most misunderstood phenomena in the industrial field. They impact sizing and aging of the equipment, and induce overheads (energy, shutdowns). Vibration resistance must be taken into account in heat exchanger design together with heat transfer and pressure loss. Mechanical strength problems are, for most common geometries, solved by applying various regulatory texts based on European standardization. Finally, transient state in heat exchanger can deal with new kind of operation (unsteady heat sources) or check their ability to bear variable operating conditions.
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Patrice CLÉMENT: Scientific advisor CEA/DRT/LITEN/DTS/LETH Grenoble
INTRODUCTION
The main operating problems encountered by heat exchanger users relate to fouling, corrosion, vibration and mechanical strength.
Fouling and corrosion are still the least understood phenomena in the industry:
oversizing of equipment in design offices;
additional energy expenditure;
replacement of corroded equipment ;
plant shutdown costs for dismantling and cleaning.
Vibration phenomena must also be taken into account when sizing heat exchangers, in the same way as heat transfer or pressure drop. A methodology for assessing fluid-induced vibration is described in this article.
Finally, for the most classic geometries, mechanical strength issues are covered by various regulatory texts, briefly described at the end of the article, as well as by a European standardization system for testing that has been in place since the 2000s.
The Heat Exchangers package is the subject of several articles:
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
KEYWORDS
vibrations | fouling | corrosion | standards and codes | heating | cooling | fluids mechanics | fluids chemical | fluid-wall interactions
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Industrial thermal engineering
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Heat exchangers
Fouling
Bibliography
Events
Heat Exchanger Fouling and Cleaning VII, Schladming, Austria, June 14-19 (2009) – Held every two years.
Standards and norms
European standards
- Échangeurs thermiques. Terminologie Ce document donne une terminologie des échangeurs thermiques permettant des termes cohérents. Elle a été établie à partir d'une analyse des critères fondamentaux relatifs à la conception, la réalisation et le mode d'exploitation des échangeurs thermiques - NF EN 247 - 12-97
- Échangeurs thermiques. Définition de la performance des échangeurs...
Regulations
Law no. 571 of October 28, 1943, as amended, concerning steam pressure vessels used on land and gas pressure vessels used on land or on board inland navigation vessels.
Decree of April 2, 1926, as amended, regulating steam engines other than those on board ships.
Decree no. 63 of January 18, 1943, as amended, regulating gas pressure equipment
Decree...
Directory
Manufacturers – Manufacturers – Suppliers
TAPROGGE (ball cleaning systems) http://www.taprogge.de
Organizations – Federations – Associations (non-exhaustive list)
AFNOR (Association française denormalisation) http://www.afnor.org
...
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
